The Shri Swami Narayan Mandir,

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

( ur, ) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

that is the only Swami Narayan temple in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The temple is notable for its size and frontage, over on the M. A. Jinnah Road in

city. The temple celebrated its anniversary of 216 years in April 2004. There is a sacred cowshed within the premises of this temple. The temple is located at the centre of a Hindu neighbourhood in

. The building that housed a ''dharmshala'' (guest house) for visiting devotees has now been converted to the office of the City District Government.

Independence of Pakistan and India and after

The temple became a refugee camp in 1947. The original images of Swaminarayan were removed and taken to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

during the turbulent times of

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. One

murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. T ...

that was originally at this temple is now located in Khan Village,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

. People who wished to settle in India from all over Sindh awaited their departure to India by ship at this temple. The temple was visited by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of

during this period. Page 52 In 1989, for the first time since the independence in 1947, a group of

sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. ...

s from the

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kalupur ( gu, શ્રી સ્વામિનારાયણ મંદિર, અમદાવાદ, Devnagari: श्री स्वामिरायण मन्दिर, अहमदाबाद) is the first T ...

visited the temple. Since then, small groups from the Ahmedabad temple pay this temple a visit every few years in a pilgrimage.

Festivals and events

According to the Pakistan Hindu Council, Swaminarayan Jayanti,

Ram Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. people from different parts of Jharkhand attended the world famous international Hazaribagh procession organized in the city every ...

, Janmastami,

Dussehra Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

, Diwali and almost all of the main religious festivals are celebrated by Hindus in this temple.

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

is celebrated with the holi bonfire lit at the centre of the temple grounds, followed by the play with colours. Janmashtami is celebrated with singing bhajans and sermons on

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, while on Diwali, devotees light lamps and candles to welcome

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

from his fourteen-year exile, at the end of which he defeated

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...

and young men burst crackers at the temple on the occasion. The

festival celebrations that take place at this temple are the biggest in Karachi. The temple also doubles as a marriage venue. In 2008, a mass wedding arrangement was made for 20 poor couples.

Hinglaj yatra

The Hinglaj yatra starts from the Swaminarayan Temple complex here annually.

Gurdwara

In the Swaminarayan Mandir complex in

, Sindh,

where a small

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

community lives, a

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

has been created for the small Sikh community. The Gurdwara Sahib houses three sets of Sri

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

Ji in the Palki Sahib. There are pictures of the Gurus and a small shrine devoted to

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated wo ...

. There is a Hindu bell in the Gurdwara Sahib as well. The whole compound is protected by a security guard to protect the small number of Hindu families.

Gallery

File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7778.JPG, Interior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7779.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7780.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Temple Gurdwara IMG 7781.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi

References

External links

The official Swaminarayan Sampraday websiteYouTube: Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Karachi
{{Cultural heritage sites in Sindh , state=autocollapse Religious buildings and structures completed in 1849 Swaminarayan Sampradaya Gurdwaras in Pakistan Hindu temples in Karachi 1849 establishments in British India Heritage sites in Karachi